The Twilight Zone (original series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology TV series that aired from 1959 to 1964, spanning 5'' seasons and ''156 episodes. The episodes are half-hour in length, except for season four, which has full-hour episodes. Summary The Twilight Zone is a science-fiction/fantasy anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The original series ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964 and remains syndicated to this day. As an anthology series, each episode presented its own separate story, often a morality play, involving people who face unusual or extraordinary circumstances, therefore entering the "Twilight Zone". Rod Serling served as executive producer and head writer, having written 92 of the show's 156 episodes. He was also the show's host, delivering on-or-off-screen monologues at the beginning and end of each episode. Orson Welles was originally considered as host, but the producers felt he asked for too much money. During the first season (except for the season's final episode) Serling's narrations were off-camera voice-overs; he only appeared on-camera at the end of each show to promote the next episode (footage that was removed from syndicated versions but restored for DVD release, although some of these promotions exist today only in audio format). Original Timeslots October 1959-September 1962 Friday 10:00-10:30 January 1963-September 1963 Thursday 9:00-10:00 September 1961-September 1964 Friday 9:30-10:00 May 1965-September 1965 Sunday 9:00-10:00The Twilight Zone. The Museum of Broadcast Communications; Retrieved: 2009-04-24 Guide to Episodes Season 1 Overview Category:1959-1960 Season Season 2 Overview Category:1960-1961 Season Season 3 Overview Category:1961-1962 Season Season 4 Overview Category:1962-1963 Season Season 5 Overview Category:1963-1964 Season Awards and Nominations During the show's five-year, 156-episode run on CBS (1959-64) the program received numerous awards: Three Emmy Awards (Rod Serling, twice, for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama, and George Clemens for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography) Three World Science Fiction Convention Hugo Awards (for Dramatic Presentation: 1960, 1961, 1962) A Directors Guild Award (John Brahm) A Producers Guild Award (Buck Houghton for Best Produced Series) The 1961 Unit Award for Outstanding Contributions to Better Race RelationsThe Twilight Zone. The Museum of Broadcast Communications; Retrieved: 2009-04-24 Internet Lists The series made the list of "Best Cult Shows Ever" at TVGuide.com, placing at #9 on the list.TVGuideNews. TVGuide.com: Today's News: Our Take, "Best Cult Shows Ever." Retrieved 2009-04-24 The series garnered an honorable mention in the HorrorMovie.ca list of "Top Ten Horror Anthology Series."moviemaven, Saturday Apr,19. "Top Ten Horror Anthology Series." HorrorMovies.ca; Retrieved: 2009-04-24 Legacy The Museum of Broadcast Communications credited the series with inspiring, "directly or indirectly," subsequent Science Fiction and Fantasy anthology series such as Thriller (1960-1962) and Outer Limits (1963-1964).The Twilight Zone. The Museum of Broadcast Communications; Retrieved: 2009-04-24 The entire series was released in a VHS format through the CBS Video Library in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Roughly a decade later, in 2006, the entire series would again be released as The Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection DVD set. The series still runs in syndication on the Sci Fi Channel. The network also runs a Twilight Zone marathon biannually, over the New Year's Eve (December 31) holiday and the U.S. Independence Day (July 4) weekend.Scifi.com - Official Site for the Sci Fi Channel In 2009, The Twilight Zone will be celebrating its Golden (50th) Anniversary on CBS. See also * The Twilight Zone * * * * List of The Twilight Zone Episodes Written by Rod Serling * List of The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series) guest stars * List of memorable quotes from the first series Further Reading Boddy, William. "Entering the Twilight Zone." Screen (London), July-October, 1984. Javna, John. The Best of Science Fiction TV: The Critics' Choice: From Captain Video to Star Trek, from The Jetsons to Robotech. New York: Harmony, 1987. Lentz, Harris M. Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Over 10,000 Actors, Actresses, Directors. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1983. _______________. Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film And Television Credits, Supplement 2, Through 1993. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1994. Rothenberg, Randall. "Synergy of Surrealism and The Twilight Zone." The New York Times, 2 April 1991. Sander, Gordon F. Serling: The Rise and Twilight of Television's Last Angry Man. New York: Dutton, 1992. Schumer, Arlen. Visions from the Twilight Zone. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1990. Zicree, Marc Scott. The Twilight Zone Companion. Toronto; New York: Bantam, 1982. Ziegler, Robert E. "Moving Out of Sight: Fantastic Vision in The Twilight Zone." Lamar Journal of the Humanities (Beaumont, Texas), Fall 1987. Notes and References Notes References * Wikipedia contributors. "The Twilight Zone (1959 TV Series)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Update: 2009-04-28. Retrieved: 2009-05-01. External Links *TV Tome series page for the original series *[http://tzone.the-croc.com/twilight1.html Original Twilight Zone Episode List] *Postcards From The Zone (Extensive episode guides, including photos) *Scifi.com: The Twilight Zone Category:TV Series Category:Need Picture